Forgiveness

Pardon me while I ramble on about forgiveness for a little bit. I have seen quite a few people who are struggling GREATLY in this area lately. As a matter of fact, this is one of the reasons that I take leave from facebook occasionally. It isn’t just one of “those” friends either…you know the kind of friends that I am talking about; the ones who you just block after a day or two of realizing that every word that comes out of their mouth is negative? (If I just made you paranoid then I’m not talking about you, because those people truly do not care if they offend.)

A Lack of Forgiveness

We cannot fellowship with the Lord and carry around bitterness

I see it from people that I love deeply and it bothers me. It bothers me for many reasons, but mainly because I know that forgiveness is essential to walking with the Lord. We cannot fellowship with the Lord and carry around bitterness. How do I know this? Because I have tried…and not just years and years go, but like last week..and the week before that…etc… I could come up with lots of reasons for it (and I will give you a few just to keep myself from despairing, lol) HORMONES, ISOLATION, REJECTION, CHEMICAL IMBALANCE, SPIRITUAL WARFARE….I am good at this, so I could go on and on, but at the end of the day…I am asked to do the impossible sometimes, and to forgive everyone, of every single obnoxious or hurtful thing that they throw at me. Sometimes I feel unable to, and then I find myself about 6 feet deep in a hole that I cannot crawl out of, and so ONCE AGAIN, Jesus throws a rope back down to me and I get back up off my knees and climb up into His arms. Think about that. That rope He throws down has a name. Can you guess what it is? “FORGIVENESS” ..and what a beautiful name it is!

Embracing Bitterness?

So there I am with a BIG OL’ grin on my face standing with my Lord, when up walks that obnoxious “Bitterness” painted up again in whichever form she has chosen for the moment. “Well, I’ll take care of this,” I think to myself, and I push her right into the hole I just crawled out of….because…I mean, can you believe the audacity of (insert name) to cause these horrible feelings inside of me?!? I look to Jesus then to get a high five, and do you know what I see? I see that I am standing right next to Bitterness in that hole once AGAIN.

You get the picture. It isn’t pretty….So when I see people that I love not only struggling with forgiving each other, but embracing “Bitterness” and naming her “Just”…naturally, I want to shove them into the hole…right? lol. No seriously, it doesn’t just upset me…it concerns me.

Why does it concern me?

“But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins”- Matthew 6:15- JESUS

You might feel justified at the moment, but is it worth it?

You say, “But you don’t understand! What they did was too much…I can’t forgive them!”

Is it worth it?

“But they are still doing it!”- BUT IS IT WORTH IT?

“See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil” Deuteronomy 12:15- CHOOSE LIFE! Don’t take sides with the enemy of your soul! Don’t be an ambassador for your own destruction!

Are you really willing to allow what they have done to you, steal your peace on top of it?

What if Jesus used the measure against you that you are using against this other person? Is it worth it then, because guess what? HE DOES.- “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Matthew 7:2

“For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Matthew 7:2

Can you live up to your own standard?

I know that I sure can’t, so why don’t we do ourselves and everyone else around us a favor, and FORGIVE THEM! FOR EVERYTHING! Why? BECAUSE HE FORGAVE US, AND HE IS WORTH IT!

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him;if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good- Romans 12:17-21

One final thought though

If you are like me, and even though you know all of this to be true, you still struggle at times to simply LET THINGS GO, take comfort in these next couple of scriptures and apply them (as opposed to using them as an excuse to stay in the hole) to your life until you are back up on your feet:

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”- 1 John 1:9

“Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised— who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”-Romans 8:34

and finally…

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense–Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.”-1 John 2:1

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About Laura Deleon

In 2004, at the ripe old age of 23, Jesus Christ met Laura DeLeon, His beloved prodigal daughter, in a hopeless pile of shame and regret on her bedroom floor. It was here, that the truth that she had always known traveled from her head and into her heart. His brilliant love and forgiveness altered her life's path and the great adventure of following after her King began. Having also struggled with severe depression and anxiety in different seasons of her life, she feels that she has been given a special ministry in helping others who walk down this road as well. Just as He called and continues to call her from her ashes and into a life of beauty and redemption, she now hopes to inspire other captives into His precious Arms. Laura is an Air Force wife, mother of 3, and a student at Liberty University, pursuing her degree in Christian counseling, with the purpose of showing others that Grace has no limits and that nobody is beyond Christ's reach.

I’m a longtime friend of Laura’s mother Emily…it was on facebook that Emily and I reconnected and on facebook where I learned of Laura’s mission in life…forgiveness can be one of the hardest lessons learned…but she is so right if you don’t forgive how can you expect to be forgiven for your own sins…

Hello, Laura, I very much agree with your thoughts about forgiveness. Your words make me feel like I know you even though we never see each other. I am so glad that you are walking with the Lord Jesus in your personal daily life., because that is where we are truly known by others. I don’t much like Facebook and seldom bring it up but I’m surely glad I clicked on today. The Lord bless you. Please be praying for all of Lorraine’s family. They are standing vigil at Herman’s bedside as he is slipping over to be with Jesus. What a tremendous happening and experience. AND we all have that coming up any day now. Much love, Aunt Punkin

First of all, thank y’all so much for your sweet words! Aunt Punkin, thank you for letting me know what was going on with Herman. I had no idea. I will most definitely be praying for everyone!! I love you.

Laura,! What a blessing to read your words on forgiveness! And to top it off to see Aunt Punkin on here and to read her words! She is a tremendous example of a gentle spirit and a wonderful witness for Christ! She has blessed my life in ways she does not even know. How wonderful to see that carried on here! Beautiful words and counsel, Laura!